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Reflections
Do vampires have reflections? In many folklore and fictional versions of vampires, it is impossible for their reflections to be seen in a mirror or other shiny surface. In Forever Knight, though, the situation is rather more equivocal. It is stated in one episode that vampires lack reflections; but there is no other evidence in the series to support this. In fact, there are numerous scenes in which reflections of vampires can actually be seen—sometimes by accident, but sometimes in shots in which the camera angles have been deliberately staged to include the reflections. Explanations for a Lack of Reflections Traditionally, vampires have no reflections because they have no souls—a curious, and rather old-fashioned equation of soul and reflection, similar to that of soul and shadow, and indeed of soul and image in general (and hence related to the prohibition in some religions against making images of people). The question of vampires' reflections can thus be related to the question of photographing vampires, since capturing an image on film has been considered the capture of the soul. On these terms, therefore, the topic of vampires' reflections has a deeper significance than simply the physics of light rays. Any discussion of whether the vampires of Forever Knight have reflections can actually be interpreted as an oblique discussion of whether they have souls. A second explanation has been proferred that connects the lack of reflection in mirrors to vampires' allergic reaction to silver—an allergy that some fictional versions of vampires share with many other species of supernatural being. According to this explanation, vampires cannot be seen in mirrors because they are rejected by the silver backing that is applied to mirrors made of glass. As a logical corollary to such an explanation, vampires ought to have reflections in shiny surfaces that are not silver—but this is rarely pointed out. After all, the explanation that the lack of reflection connects to the silver allergy is not intended as a true scientific explanation for the curious behaviour of light waves around vampires. Rather, it is being proferred as a pseudo-scientific alternative to the purely metaphysical association of reflections with souls. In any case, Forever Knight vampires do not have such an allergy to silver. They can be seen handling silver objects. Indeed, LaCroix is often seen wearing a silver ring. Vampire Reflections in Forever Knight , Nick tells Natalie that he can see his reflection since he started taking her cure.]] Do the vampires of Forever Knight have reflections? In "Father Figure", the question would appear to be answered when Nick Knight is shot: he conceals the injury until Dr. Lambert can extract the bullet, and then tells her that her attempts at reversing his vampire state have been having some effect, for the bullet would ordinarily have passed right through him. As well, he adds, he can sometimes now see himself in a mirror. Of course, from the perspective of the viewer, he is stating the obvious, since the camera angle employed in the scene is one that cunningly films, not the actors, but their reflections in the mirror in the bathroom in Nick's apartment. This scene would appear to answer the question nicely: in general, vampires in the world of Forever Knight cannot be seen in mirrors, but—because of the effects of Natalie's treatments—this no longer applies to Nick. The information being supplied about vampires accords with tradition, and thus ties in with the allergies to garlic, crosses, and sunlight which have already been demonstrated in the show. At the same time, there is a justification for the clever shooting angle used in the scene, since, unlike most vampires, Nick does have a reflection. But Nick's words do more: an advance explanation has been set up for any scene in which the actor playing Nick is inadvertently seen in a mirror, say at a crime scene or in a location shot. Forever Knight is notoriously inconsistent in its portrayal of vampires. There are no other scenes in which vampires's lack of reflections is mentioned explicitly. Nor are there scenes in which a vampire's lack of reflection is unambiguously obvious to the viewer. Three situations need to be examined, therefore: where reflections might appear but don't; where reflections do appear, but only by accident; and where reflections have been deliberately included. Absent Reflections .]] There are a few scenes in which reflections might appear but do not. In "Ashes to Ashes", for example, LaCroix is questioned at the 96th Precinct police station in a room that has one-way glass. Because of the camera angle, he does not appear in the mirror—but the actual camera angle used clearly would not show him anyway. More ambiguous is a scene in "Francesca", where Nick and LaCroix are greeted by Francesca, the Comtesse du Montagne, in a room in her chateau where there is a large mirror hanging on the wall. None of the three vampires appears in the mirror. However, there is a candelabrum visible in the glass that is not in shot, indicating that the mirror is angled in such a way that the three actors could not have appeared in the glass. Is this deliberate, to suggest a lack of reflection? Or is the lack of reflection merely an artifact of angle? Accidental Reflections There is no doubt that, if Forever Knight vampires have no reflections, the exception for Nick that is offered in "Father Figure" would be needed. Nick's accidental reflection appears on screen in a number of episodes. After all, he is the protagonist, appears in most scenes, and has the greatest likelihood of incidentally encountering a reflective surface. Most obvious, perhaps, are glimpses of Nick's reflection in the one-way glass in the interrogation room. Any camera angle towards the mirror perforce includes the reflection seen in it. Depending on the exact angle, this includes the rear wall, the prisoner seated at the table, and some or all of the detectives in the room—one of whom is often Nick. However, incidental reflections appear in other, less obvious locations—and, of course, the less obvious the location, the harder it would be for the production crew to spot it and eliminate it, if that should be considered desirable. For example, there is an extreme close-up from "Last Act", in which Nick, in a morbid contemplation of suicide by sunlight, sticks a finger into a sunbeam and lets it sizzle. To support himself for the delicate positioning of the shot, Geraint Wyn Davies, the actor who plays Nick, placed his hand on a small table, lifting only the one finger into the beam of light. The table's surface being shiny, the reflection of his hand can be seen in the shot. Given similar circumstances, the reflection of any actor will show up—including one playing an unregenerate vampire who certainly never tried any of Natalie's cures. In "Ashes to Ashes", when Divia reveals herself to Nick in his apartment, she leaps onto a table. The reflection of her boots is clearly seen in the polished wood surface. Nor is it only shiny furniture that provides a suitable reflective surface. In "Dark Knight: The Second Chapter", LaCroix confronts Nick in a slaughterhouse, and taunts him with a travesty of the Mayan ceremony that Nick hopes will restore his mortality. LaCroix dips a ladle into a vat of blood drained from the carcasses of slaughtered animals, and pours the blood into the jade cup that he has stolen from the museum. The ladle is metal; and, as LaCroix lifts it high to pour the blood, the reflections of both the rim of the vat and his hand holding the jade cup can be seen distorted in the curved outer side of the bowl of the ladle. There is a similar incident in "Francesca", when the Countess comes to Nick to offer him a drink of the blood that she has just drained from the violinist whose playing he had admired. She has poured the blood into a silver goblet. As she raises it to his lips, her smiling reflection can be seen in the curved surface of the inside of the cup. At least some of these accidental reflections can be excused if one employs the explanation that the silver in the backing of mirrors is the reason vampires cannot be seen in them—and that, by corollary, vampires' reflections can be seen in shiny surfaces that are not silver. However, this is belied by Francesca's reflection in the goblet, since it is made of silver, yet shows her smiling face quite clearly. In truth, what reflections of this sort actually prove is the inadvisability of including "no reflection" among the characteristics of vampires in a film or television series. Yes, it would certainly be possible to employ special effects or careful location of mirrors to produce a pointed and deliberate lack of reflection. But it is effectively impossible to guard against any accidental reflection of the actor in some shiny surface in the vicinity. Staged Reflections Reflections incidental to the scene appear without the deliberate intention of the director. Happenstance put the actor and a reflective surface next to one another. On the other hand, there are a handful of episodes in which the use of reflection is a deliberate part of a scene, included to produce a desired effect. Reflections of Other Characters Although the majority of staged reflections involve Nick, the few in which other vampire characters are seen in mirrors are the ones which are most significant in terms of answering the question of whether Forever Knight vampires have reflections or not. Black Buddha, Part One , Tracy sees Vachon reflected in the mirror as he comes out of her bathroom.]] Hearts of Darkness , Urs sees her changed image in the mirror.]] Reflections of Nick Reflections of Nick are naturally more frequent: he is, after all, the protagonist of the series and appears in the majority of scenes. Nevertheless, deliberately staged reflections are unusual. They require additional time for the shot to be set up; so such scenes are only used when the director or writer wishes to achieve some particular narrative effect. Dead Air , he looks into the rear view mirror of his car to see her reflection—and his own as well.]] Father Figure In the scene in "Father Figure" in which Nick talks about his reflection, the camera is located in the vicinity of the bathroom door, looking towards the mirror on the opposite wall. As the shot begins, Nick and Natalie are in the main room of the loft, and hence well behind the camera. Their reflection, small in the mirror, shows them approaching the open door, entering the bathroom, and going to the mirror. However, no more than an elbow of the actors themselves is ever actually on screen (visible on the far right). Instead, their actions are filmed solely through their reflections, as Natalie starts to remove the bullet from Nick's shoulder, he winces in pain, she reacts with surprise and delight (for vampires do not ordinarily feel pain from such injuries), and he explains the several ways in which her treatment seems to be affecting his physiological response to injury. The use of reflected images throughout the scene has a metaphorical significance: the reflected Nick and Natalie are reversed in the mirror, as Nick's physiology is starting to reverse, symbolized by the fact that his reflection can be seen as his humanity reasserts itself. A Fate Worse than Death , the reflection of Nick and Schanke searching the murder scene can be seen in a mirror in the hotel room.]] Baby, Baby , Nick's reflection is seen in the one-way glass as he looks into the interrogation room at Serena.]] Early in "Baby, Baby", the vampire Serena is interviewed about her relationship with the principal suspect in a probable homicide case. She is interrogated by Nick's partner, Don Schanke; and there is a moment when Nick looks into the interrogation room through the one-way glass. When, in filming such a shot, the director wishes both the watcher and the interview to appear on screen at the same time, it is most usual for the character looking through the glass to be seen more or less in profile on one side of the screen, with the view of the interrogation room seen on the other side of the screen. In this scene in "Baby, Baby", though, the director decided to superimpose the images, directing the camera over the actor's shoulder, through the glass, so that the scene in the interrogation room is centred on the screen. As a result, Nick is seen from behind. However, his reflection appears in the upper part of the screen, making it possible to see his face. It is rather small; so, in order that it be better appreciated, the shot is preceded by an extreme close-up of the reflection of his face in the glass. The superimposition of Nick's reflection and Schanke's interview of Serena would have taken some time to set up; so the choice to incorporate a reflection rather than Nick's actual face is obviously significant. The latter represents his thoughts, which are of Serena—not merely Serena in the present, as a witness to a suspicious death, but Serena in his past. In fact, the scene will shortly segue into Nick's memories of his first encounter with her. Father's Day , Nick's reflection is seen in the window as he looks into the broadcast booth at CERK Radio.]] Blackwing Let No Man Tear Asunder Games Vampires Play Avenging Angel .]] In "Avenging Angel", Julie Henderson's mother has been found murdered in Julie's room at a safe house for battered women. Julie says her father did it. However, although she is taken to the police station to provide a witness statement, Nick and his partner remain behind for a while, examining the crime scene. Julie's interview follows immediately. However, the scene does not open in the interrogation room itself. Rather, it opens in the observation room, where Nick is looking in through the one-way glass. The view of Julie, seated at the table in the interrogation room, fills most of the screen. Nick's physical body can be seen only from behind on the far right of the screen. However, his reflection is superimposed on the glass. We may thus distinguish his physical presence as Detective Knight, watching Julie, from his mental absence—for Nick had drifted into memory back at the crime scene; and it is actually the flashback that is the scene immediately preceding Julie's interview. As in "Baby, Baby", the reflection of Nick's face is used to indicate that he is (or has been) thinking. He is split between the physical and mental halves of himself, the latter being symbolized by his reflection. In "Baby, Baby", his flashback was just to come; in "Avenging Angel", it is just ended. In both instances, the reflection serves as a bridge between interview and flashback scenes. Conclusion In some episodes, reflections are employed as a visual method of distinguishing Nick's physical presence in a plot-related situation from his thoughts, which are either drifting to or returning from his memories of the past. Category:Special Effects Category:Vampires Category:Canon & Fanon